Since the advent of automatic transmissions, many inventions have been developed that are devoted to the improvement of the function and power delivery capabilities of the transmissions. Most transmissions are found in cars or trucks. These transmissions are designed to convert the power of the engine to torque, usually at the rear axle. Because the length from the engine output to the rear axle is normally six to ten feet, most transmissions are elongated and spread out over a number of feet.
In the boating industry, and for other applications, the length between the output of the engine and the propeller shaft or other output requirement is often quite small. This length can be measured in feet or sometimes in parts of a foot. However, there is a paucity of developments for transmissions that will shift the boat from low to high gear and also fit the limited space available for the transmission between the motor output and the propeller input shaft. It is a purpose of this invention to provide a very short transmission.
Most boats do not have any type of transmission whatsoever. Boats normally have one position of the motor for forward, a neutral position, and a second position for reverse. The problem with this is that when a boat pulls away from a stop, similar to the conditions present when automobiles pull away from a stop, the engine needs more torque and less revolutions per minute. However, once the boat is in motion, less torque and more revolutions per minute are desirable to run the boat at a faster speed. Up until now, no short transmission has been developed that will deliver both a low and a high gear. It is another object of this invention to provide a transmission for a motor driven boat and propeller system which will provide both a low pulling gear and a high speed running gear.
Since most transmissions required to deliver power from a motor to an output shaft can be anywhere from four to six feet long, there has never been a premium put on a compact and short transmission for use in applications such as the one presented here. It is a still further object of this invention to present a compact and short boat engine which has its major components nested inside each other.
When one starts the engine in forward on the normal boat, a decided clunk can be heard when the torque of the motor is transmitted to the output shaft of the propeller. In these situations, the mechanical clunk heard often results in damage to the bushings around the propeller and in other mechanical stress to the entire torque delivery system. It is a still and further object of this invention to provide a dampening system which will reduce the mechanical stress applied to a propeller and shaft when the engine torque is applied to the output shaft.
Other and further objects of this invention will become apparent upon reading the below described Specification.